Top 5 can't live without baby items

There are a few things that I absolutely love and cannot live without on a day to day basis. I would recommend these items to everyone (starting with the best):

1. Sleepy Wrap - I love love love this thing so much! It is the best for carrying Emily around. Plus she falls asleep in it all the time and then you can just tuck her little head in and she'll just stay like that for hours. This one is especially nice because it's very long and stretchy. If you get one thing at all on this list, it should be this one!!

Here I am walking with Emily, it looks like she's in my shirt :)


Older kids can go in it too




She was asleep about 5 minutes after this picture was taken


2. Miracle Blanket - Friends of ours kindly passed this on to us and we actually kind of forgot about it until she was a few weeks old. Ever since then she's been swaddled in it for all naps and at night too (if she's not in my wrap). Swaddling is so important to keep babies asleep and this one really works! There are others out there that people like too...either way...SWADDLE your baby tightly!!




3. Bumgenius 3.0 Cloth Diapers - These diapers are the BEST! What a great way to save money and the environment. Plus they grow with baby and they're super cute :) We love using cloth diapers. I could go on and on about this but won't. Haven't had a blowout yet!!



4. Co-Sleeper - So convenient! She sleeps in a tiny little bed right next to our bed so it makes those middle of the night feedings so much easier!!







5. Snoogle - Ok so this isn't something for baby but it's for pre-baby. This pillow makes sleeping so nice while pregnant and eliminates the need for a billion pillows in bed.

Emily's kidney update

When I was pregnant with Emily, they noticed some fluid in her kidneys during an ultrasound. They told us that this was pretty common. I remember we were worried but also glad we were able to see her again (and reassure us that she was actually a "she").

When she was born we went in for her 2 month appointment and she had another ultrasound done. Usually this corrects itself in the birth canal but in Em's case it didn't. There was still fluid in her kidneys. The biggest concern is that they want to make sure her urine isn't getting into her kidneys. So we put her on antibiotics for a few weeks and set up an appointment for a VCUG.

A few weeks later she had the VCUG. It was so sad! We had to strip her down, lay her on the table, and hold down her hands and legs while they put a catheter in her bladder. She was crying pretty hard and it wasn't easy to watch. Her little body was so tense from crying that the nurse requested I put my finger in her mouth so she would suck it a little bit and ease the tension thus making it easier for the catheter to go in. They put black dye in her bladder so they can easily see through an x-ray if it goes into her kidney.

Anyway, long story short her urine is not going into her kidneys so she is a healthy little baby! It's such a relief and a blessing to not have to worry about it anymore!!

Another Jen Elder

Scott's brother Jay and Jennifer got married!! The wedding was awesome, we actually were their photographers so we spent a lot of the day behind a camera. Emily was only 1 month old so I spent a lot of time with her too. Spencer loved his little cousin!! Em also got to meet many more relatives on the Elder side.

The wedding was beautiful. I actually almost starting crying when she was walking down the aisle!! Unfortunately Emily got a little hungry so I had to bring her downstairs to eat where she started crying and several people told me they could hear her crying upstairs...oops!!

After the wedding we got to take a few more pictures of Jay and Jennifer and then we went to the reception. The funny thing is, we originally planned to have the wedding outside at Scott's parent's house but it was too rainy. So we had to go to the church instead...which is in a different county...which means the wrong county was on the marriage certificate....which means they weren't officially married. So the priest luckily realized this and had to pronounce them husband and wife again at the reception. It was pretty crazy but definitely something they'll remember!!

Lucas with Em






Papa Tuck with Em - I think this is the first time he held her


Cousin Spencer giving her a kiss




Elizabeth with Em


Great Grandma Otto with Em


At the rehearsal


Love this pic!








The ladies celebrate with some champagne before the ceremony


Her dress...it was gorgeous!








The Elder Family


The second wedding

Breastfeeding Woes

Ever since I thought about having kids I thought without a doubt I would breastfeed and that I would have no problems whatsoever. In fact when people told me they had problems I used to think "oh you just didn't try hard enough, you must not have really wanted to do it." I even went through the breastfeeding class ignoring anything that had to do with formula because I knew I would just be breastfeeding. Well, I was in for a surprise!! For some reason I just don't produce as much as I thought I would which left Emily hungry for more. So from early on I started supplementing (as recommended by the doctor and lactation consultant even though I was not thrilled about this) and I was supposed to supplement until she started gaining weight. So those first few weeks I was making several trips to the lactation consultant. I wanted so badly to be able to have enough milk for her but it just wasn't happening! So now I am still supplementing with formula but also give her breast milk too. I'm not giving up!! There are advantages and disadvantages to using formula:

Advantages
1. You know exactly how much food she's getting
2. Dad (and anyone else) can feed her too
3. It's much more convenient in public
4. Formula keeps babies satisfied longer (helps with sleeping through the night)

Disdvantages
1. It costs money...LOTS of money!
2. Not the best nutritionally for her
3. Not as much mother/child bonding
4. When going between breast and bottle there's a chance for nipple confusion

I'm very thankful that she didn't have any nipple confusion and takes both bottle and breast very well. Overall this experience has been bittersweet to be honest. I've of course enjoyed the advantages and not enjoyed the disadvantages but you have to do what you have to do.

You mean I can actually go out in public with a baby?!?!

Well I must say that the last few weeks have been a whirlwind! I feel like I'm just a constant breastfeeding machine who's locked inside a cave. Figures it's while the days are now warm and beautiful and everyone on Facebook is talking about how gorgeous it is out there and I'm stuck in my very attractive pajamas all day long. One of the main thoughts that crosses my mind several times is, "will my life ever be normal again, will I ever be able to go anywhere now that I have a baby?" It all seems so complicated right now and so much work to go out of the house with a baby. I distinctly remember the first time I drove by myself. I was worried about how I would put the carseat in the car by myself and how I would hold the carseat without looking awkward (it seems like all moms just know how to carry these things). Well it did feel awkward and I did have a little sense of anxiety the first time I went out by myself. But it kept getting easier and easier and now I am proud to say that I can carry the carseat with one hand very easily now!! Yay, it's the little things :) I forced myself this week to GET OUT and do things. Like go to bible study, go to help out at church and go back to WW. That was hard but helped a lot. Here are some more pictures from her first week:

Sleeping baby


Gus is a little protect dog


Neglected puppy


Grandma Elder


Thanks for the gifts!




Daddy with Em


We both love to sleep


She always presses against the side of her cosleeper


Her warming bear (and apparently new best friend)